Beyond A Steel Sky

Built by veterans of the genre, Beyond a Steel Sky may not be a revolutionary adventure game, but its clever writing and intriguing story make it a solid entry.

Coming 27 years after its predecessor, Beyond a Steel Sky inevitably lacks the originality that made Beneath a Steel Sky such an instant classic, and a strong source of inspiration for many games that came later. Union City is now a 3D world, but it’s still filled of clever puzzles and interesting characters, shaped around Cecil and Gibbons’ view of society. It might not be as groundbreaking as the original, but Beyond a Steel Sky is still a good adventure that tries to offer a perspective on our society and how we should try to improve it without leaving anyone behind.

Beyond a Steel Sky is an impressive adventure game with an intriguing story and a fun hacking system that adds a layer of challenge. As you play, you'll constantly wonder what situation you'll face next and what chain of events you'll have to complete while you're there.

Although it is difficult to turn a blind eye to the defects of the technical sector, whose use of the Unreal Engine 4 seems really naive, the production of Revolution is still distinguished by a grandiose, inspired and suggestive artistic direction, as well as a narrative fluency that will satisfy even the finest palates.

Faithful to its predecessor, Beyond a Steel Sky is a success on consoles. Taking advantage of the 4K resolution and fully dubbed dialogues, this version puts the player in an armchair. More stable and comfortable, the adventure turns out to be pleasant thanks to the impactful writing, colorful characters and a city more surprising than ever. The lack of life is however glaring and may hamper those looking for a spectacular setting.

Beyond a Steel Sky is a typical modern adventure game with old-school logic puzzles mixed into it. With great writing from some of the great names from the comic-book and video game industry, it is riddled with linearity, lack of player choice, and irritating puzzle design in the later parts of the game. Still, it poses a fun experience for all fans of the genre, and due to its great world design, it is a true cyberpunk experience.

The long-forgotten point & click classic Beneath a Steel Sky finally gets a sequel that takes us back to a completely different time in many ways. After many years, Revolution Software is demonstrating that they are still able to create an exciting story based on old fears about the future that are even more relevant today than before. Even new players who are not familiar with the previous instalment will get a very well-rounded story and experience, but they will still have to invest a little more than in other today's derivatives of the once-popular genre.

Beyond A Steel Sky is easy to recommend to anyone who would like a low stress mystery puzzle narrative adventure game. Although a sequel, the game does an excellent job of catching you up on previous events and you won’t feel out of the loop of the storylines. I hope this is a series that continues on. Although sometimes a bit slow in places with minor bugs, it’s an engaging world and story to be a part of, with creative puzzles and fun throughout.